


The Story of You and Me

by Chloe_Hallow_Eve



Series: Black Paladin Lance [25]
Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Black Paladin Lance (Voltron), F/M, Fluff, Keith/Lance (Voltron) Fluff, M/M, Post-Season/Series 02 (Voltron), everyone ships it, klance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-18
Updated: 2017-09-18
Packaged: 2018-12-31 03:47:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,383
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12123861
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chloe_Hallow_Eve/pseuds/Chloe_Hallow_Eve
Summary: Keith and Lance finally go on a date.Alternatively Titled: It's About Damn Time





	The Story of You and Me

Lance hadn’t been back that long. It was only two week ago he’d fallen out of the healing pod into the arms of his concerned team. And he had been grateful- so, so grateful- that he hadn’t woken up with his dreams. With the settings of his nightmares. And that’s why he was wandering the castle right before bedtime, because he knew that if he tried to fall asleep, she’d be waiting for him. It was bad enough that every time he closed his eyes, he could see her scarred face, but when he slept-

 

_ The cold table was nice to feel on his wounded skin, the burning smell having clogged his nose hours ago. They’d toss him into a healing pod soon, wash away the scars and burns and cuts, before they did it all again. Maybe they’d cut him open next time. Maybe they’d replace parts of his body, like Shiro. Maybe they’d deem him ‘worthy’ of ‘participating’ in their arena fights. The one thing that was for sure was that he was going to be in pain, no matter what.  _

 

Lance rubbed his head, sighing. He wondered if Shiro had these problems, too. He probably did. No one could go through The Galran Experience ™  without walking away with physical, emotional, and mental scars. The little voice in his head that sounded like Haggar piped up, reminding him he was weaker than Shiro, and therefore was probably the only one having problems. 

 

“Shut up,” he mumbled without heat. He was tired of fighting with his brain. But he was scared to know what would happen if he stopped. 

 

“Lance?”

 

Lance straightened, glancing behind him. He hadn’t noticed that he was near the kitchen. Keith stood in the doorway, leaning out to better see him. He was frowning, holding a nutrition bar, dressed in the paladin pj’s he’d found a while ago. They were pretty much like Lance’s, but red.

 

Keith took in Lance’s pale skin, the bags under his eyes, and the way he held himself. His frown deepened. “Do you need to sleep with me again?”

 

Lance was sure that if his heart wasn’t made of metal, it would have leapt into his throat. Keith obviously meant  _ actually sleeping in his room,  _ but that phrasing caught Lance off guard. He took a moment to breathe normally, hoping he wasn’t blushing. 

 

“N-no, it’s cool, I was just going to head to my room now.”

 

“You’re still in your armour.” Keith pointed out. 

 

Lance glanced down at the blue armour (Shiro was back, he could fly Blue again, he felt so much more comfortable in the blue armour) he wore. He was planning on going to the training deck, but that would be hours later, and he didn’t need to put it on until right before he decided to train. But he felt safe in a way his clothes couldn’t make him feel. Nothing could reach their clawed hand out and rip through his chest. No one could carve into his arms and legs. He didn’t have to feel the full force of an electric shock. He needed that reassurance when he was alone. 

 

Keith shoved the bar into his pants pocket when Lance remained silent, walking over and taking him gently by the wrist. Lance flinched. Keith’s hands were cold, like the restraints. Keith pulled back, face briefly unsure, then hesitantly took his hand. Lance was okay with that. They hadn’t done much to his hands, so this was okay. Keith pulled him along, and Lance followed. 

 

They went to Lance’s room, where his pj’s and face washes were. Keith opened the door, dropped Lance’s hand, and went over to his dresser. He pulled out the blue pj’s and handed them to Lance. 

 

He pointed to the attached bathroom. “Get changed and whatever else you need to do.”

 

Lance sighed. He wasn’t going to get out of this. He just hoped his nightmares didn’t wake Keith up. He trudged into the bathroom. 

 

As Lance peeled his armour off, the smell of sweat became more prominent. His nose wrinkled. Yeah, he needed a shower. He turned the faucet to scorching, stripped out of the remainders of his armour (which he’d wash later), and stepped into the stream. He stood there for five minutes before beginning to wash himself. He used his face stuff while his pores were open from the steam, scrubbed down his body (ignoring the purple patch on his chest), rubbed in his two-in-one hair wash, rinsed off then stepped out. He couldn’t bother with a face mask today. He dried off to the best of his ability, threw on his pj’s, then checked in the mirror to see if his hair was wet and not a complete mess. Naturally, it was both of those things. 

 

Before Lance could continue to dry his hair, a bright shine caught his attention. Lance leaned in close to the mirror, eyes narrowed. He used his hands to sort through the brown strands. Was... was that-?

 

He shrieked. 

 

Keith slammed the door open a moment later, eyes darting around the room for danger. “What, what is it?”

 

Lance turned to Keith, one of his hairs pinched between his fingers. “I have a fucking grey hair!”

 

Keith stared at him, his heart rate slowly lowering. He stared at Lance. “Are you serious?”

 

“Keith, this is serious!  _ I have a grey hair!” _

 

“Shiro has grey hairs.” Keith pointed out. 

 

“Yeah, but he makes it look good.” Lance moaned. “This is the end of the beauty called Young Lance McClain. Let the funeral bells toll. We must have a moment of silence.”

 

Keith reached forward, grabbed the hair Lance was displaying, and yanked it out. 

 

“Ow!”

 

“There. It’s no longer there. Your beauty is intact, or whatever.” 

 

Lance pouted at him, rubbing the sore spot. “..... Can you check for others?”

 

“Oh my god.”

 

“Please?”

 

A couple minutes of squabbling later found Lance sitting on the floor in front of Keith, who was brushing his hands through the others hair. He couldn’t find any other grey strands, but everytime he tried to stop, Lance would complain that he didn’t do a good enough search. Eventually he gave up on the search and just had fun playing with Lance’s hair. It was finer and not as soft as Keith had been expecting, but Lance hadn’t been able to take care of it for a while, so it made sense. Keith smiled when the tension in Lance’s shoulders melted. 

 

“Still can’t find any more.”

 

Lance huffed. “Fine. But you’re searching again tomorrow.”

 

Keith could live with that. Rubbing Lance’s scalp was nice. He wouldn’t mind doing it again. 

 

Keith patted Lance’s shoulder. “Come on, in the bed you get.”

 

Lance dropped his head back into Keith’s lap. “Carry me.”

 

“Lance, you just have to stand up.”

 

“Pretty please?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes and layed down, ignoring Lance’s whining. The dork could get in bed himself. 

 

* * *

Shiro usually let his team sleep in when he could. Allies and the Empire did a good job of making sure they got by on the minimum amount of sleep necessary. So, when neither interrupted, Shiro allowed his team the time to wake up on their own. He never let them get lazy, of course, but the occasional reward for a week well done didn't hurt. 

 

Today was one of those days. Everyone was tired from the strategy meeting with Lotor. Shiro himself slept through his alarm twice. But when it started getting closer to noon and there was no sign of Lance and Keith, Shiro decided it was time to wake them up.

 

He went to Keith's room first, knocking softly. He waited a bit, then knocked again. When there was still no response, Shiro opened the door. There was no one there. He closed it again with a frown. Keith had probably gotten up already. He’d check the training room later.  

 

Lance’s room wasn't too far from Keith’s, so it wasn't long before he was knocking on his door. 

 

“Lance? It's almost noon, time to get up.”

 

There was shuffling, a couple of sleepy groans, then the door opened. Shiro went to greet Lance, but the words died on his tongue when Keith stepped out instead. The tips of his ears were red, and he glared at the floor like it personally offended him. He said a quick ‘morning’ before darting past him towards his own room. Shiro watched him go, baffled. 

 

The door opened again, this time for Lance. He was dressed in his armour, as opposed to Keith’s sleepwear, and looked vaguely sheepish. He grinned at Shiro. 

 

“Hey, Shiro.”

 

“Hi.”

 

They stood there, staring at each other, before Lance ducked around him towards the training room. Shiro stared at the door, eyebrows drawn. He turned on his heel. He'd ask Pidge and Hunk about that. Later. 

 

“I'm not sure I want to know.” He sighed, rubbing his temple. 

 

* * *

‘Later’ came at lunch, apparently. Shiro was waiting at the table with his food, accompanied by Pidge. Hunk was still in the kitchen creating some quick drinks for everyone. Allura and Coran stood at the table across the room, taking their time with the buffet Hunk had put out. They seemed overjoyed with the style, and even more interested when Pidge had mentioned ‘potluck’ in passing. Apparently, Altean culinary culture wasn’t nearly as diverse, and the spread was fascinating. 

 

Keith and Lance came stumbling in a moment later, the former almost literally dragging the latter towards the food by the collar of his armour. Lance made some weak protests, but ultimately allowed Keith to shove a plate of food in his hands. 

 

Shiro watched them for a moment. “Just how… close… did they get while I was gone?”

 

Pidge glanced up from their laptop, followed his eyes, and snorted. They turned back to their computer. “Well, the idiots aren’t dating yet, if that’s what you’re asking.”

 

Shiro glanced at her. “Are you sure? Keith cam came out of Lance’s room when I went to wake them up.”

 

“They’ve been doing that for a while. Lance wasn’t sleeping properly, so Keith forced him into a bed and wouldn’t leave until Lance slept. Lance would like to think he’s good at hiding things, but he really isn’t.” Their typing paused. “It’s… you being gone was hard on everyone, for different reasons. But Lance took the bulk of it. He and Keith learned how to rely on one another. I know it’s probably weird, having them go from at each others throats to that,” Pidge thumbed over to said duo, who were bickering loudly until Lance scooped up something that looked like red mashed potatoes and splotched it onto Keith’s nose with a cackle, “but it’s been good. Hunk is too gentle to force Lance to take care of himself, I’m bad with feelings in general, Allura has a lot of things to think about and Coran is more of the silently supporting type. Keith whipping Lance into shape is the best option.” The typing picked up again. “He’s been trying so hard to take care of all of us. It’s about time he got to worry about himself for a change.”

 

Shiro sat in the silence Pidge’s words had left. Guilt was gnawing at his stomach, but he knew none of this was his fault. He could only control what he did now. He glanced back at the duo, smiling slightly when he saw Lance trying to get the grape-like-thing Keith had dropped in his armour out while Keith laughed. 

 

“I’ll leave that alone,” Shiro relented, “for now. If they dance around each other for too long-”

 

“Oh don’t worry. Allura and Hunk have an entire plan on how they’ll get those two to admit their feelings if this starts to drag out. You’re good.”

 

* * *

Lance was sitting in the lounge, head propped up on his hand, staring at Keith. The princess had insisted they all gather and have a nice chat, “just because we can.” It  _ was _ pretty nice, admittedly. Lance had everyone in his line of sight, he was allowed to keep his armour on, there was no battle or meeting they had to deal with, and everyone was in a good mood. The atmosphere was peaceful for once. And what made things better, Keith was wearing his jacket after stealing it and not giving it back. It was too big for him, since Lance’s arms were longer, but that just made Keith cute. Lance smiled, eyes sliding to Hunk and Pidge as they excitedly described the alien tech they’d picked up from a new planet. 

 

“It's supposed to act as a life bubble of sorts. Temperature, air, atmosphere, it controls it all for a while.” Hunk explained with large hand gestures. 

 

“It doesn't do anything against physical damage though.” Pidge pointed out. 

 

Hunk frowned. “Didn't they say it deflected-”

 

“Minimalistically, which is practically nothing-”

 

“But it-”

 

“If someone-”

 

“That's unfair-”

 

Keith snorted softly, somehow able to keep track of the conversation as their two tech geeks talked over each other. Lance’s gaze was drawn back to him. There was something soft in his eyes as he watched Pidge and Hunk. Lance wondered when that softness no longer became reserved for Shiro. Keith glanced at him, smile widening when he saw Lance staring. It was the kind of smile that said they were sharing an inside joke, the kind that lit something in Lance’s stomach and rose to colour his cheeks and made him smile back. They watched each other for a few moments, Keith seemingly about to speak, and Lance was pretty sure it was to make fun of the spectacle in front of them. 

 

The bickering faded into background noise. Keith glanced at the group, then back to him. 

 

“Do you want to go on a date?”

 

Lance’s brain lagged. He blinked at Keith for a few moments, unable to comprehend much while his body felt fuzzy and numb at the same time. He took a moment to breathe. 

 

“Okay.”

 

They smiled at each other, brighter and warmer than before, then focused back on their team. No one had noticed, Lance noted, too distracted by Hunk and Pidge trying to out-science each other. Lance still didn’t understand most of it. He felt like he was floating. The smile was starting to hurt. He scooted closer to Keith. 

 

“What do you wanna do?”

 

“I wasn’t thinking anything big. Just, you know, a nice night as more than friends.”

 

“We’ve been sleeping in the same bed for weeks. I’d be surprised if that wasn’t considered ‘a nice night as more than friends’ by most people.”

 

Keith elbowed him. Lance elbowed back. 

 

“But seriously, I wanna show you a good time.”

 

“Screw you, I’m the one who asked. I’m planning it.”

 

“We’ll end up sparring though.” Lance paused, gaze flicking to Keith’s thighs. “Wait, nevermind, that’d be fine.”

 

“Oh my god.” Keith rolled his eyes, standing. “I’m taking a shower. I’ll swing by your room in a couple hours to get you.”

 

Lance watched him go, still reeling that this was actually a thing. This was happening. 

 

“It’s a date.” He mumbled to himself, grinning goofily. 

 

* * *

Keith had no idea how to plan a date, and he might be panicking a little. 

 

He had acted on a whim, as he tended to do, and it was nice to know for sure Lance felt enough of the same to agree to the date. But now he was stuck. Keith felt that was a metaphor for his life, but he didn’t have time to ponder that further. He dragged Shiro and Allura into a conference. 

 

“You asked Lance on a date you hadn’t planned?” Allura asked, face full of innocent confusion. 

 

“You asked Lance on a date you hadn’t planned.” Shiro said, head tilted skyward and sigh all too condescending. 

 

“Shut up.” Keith snapped at him. “I need help. I need something to do. Something, like, romantic.”

 

Shiro gave him his ‘you’re old enough to figure it out on your own’ look, opening his mouth to most likely say that exact thing, but then his line of sight was taken up by Allura who had her hands on his shoulders and looked far too excited. 

 

“I have got just the thing!”

 

Keith felt like he should start regretting his decision, but he couldn’t quite manage that. He settled for being frightened. “What do you have?”

 

Allura’s grin was a little too sharp for Keith’s liking. “Follow me.”

 

* * *

Lance was staring at the spread of his clothes over his bed, examining each article carefully. He occasionally picked one of the alien fashions up, faced Pidge and Hunk, and tossed it into a pile according to the reaction. They’d slowly been making their way down the list, and were down to two pairs of jeans and three pairs of shirts. Lance would narrow the pants down first, so then he’d just have to pick the shirt that went with it. 

 

“Lance, it’s Keith. He’s seen you first thing in the morning when you don’t wash up, probably. He won’t care.” Pidge drawled. 

 

“He will when he sees how tight Lance’s ass looks in those pants.” Hunk commented casually. 

 

“Hunk. Pure one. We’ve been over this.”

 

“I’m just saying Pidge, his booty is fine in the skinny jeans.”

 

“Plus they’re comfortable.” Lance contributed, picking up said tight, dark, denim pants. “A hard feat to accomplish, but aliens did it. I’ll probably go with them.”

 

Pidge sighed, flopping back into the discarded clothes pile. The rejected pair of jeans landed on them a moment later. They didn’t bother to take it off. 

 

“I’m surprised you’re not flipping out.” Hunk eyed Lance carefully. “Keith asked you on a date, man. I’d expect you to be screaming. Or laying on the floor contemplating your existence, at the least.”

 

Pidge raised a hand. “He’s probably in shock.”

 

“I am not in shock.” Lance huffed, tossing his black t-shirt over his shoulder towards the pile. “My brain is just numb and I keep having to remind myself this is reality.”

 

“Pretty sure that’s shock. If you weren’t, you’d probably be gripping about the fact that  _ Keith  _ was the one to ask first.” 

 

“Please. I’m more mature than that.”

 

It had nothing to do with the fact that while he understood his emotions more easily, he tended to push things aside if he saw them as stupid or irrelevant, and romantic interest for the person who held him through his nightmares and checked his scalp for grey hairs and was generally there for him at all times was something he saw as stupid because that could potentially ruin a good friendship. No, it couldn’t have been that Keith might not get himself or others but he acted on what he wanted and if what he wanted was Lance then it wasn’t like he was going to stop himself with logic such as ‘he probably doesn’t like me back’, ‘I’m really fucked up and would probably fuck him up’, or ‘I don’t deserve him’. There was no frustration that the boy who didn’t understand a cheer managed to ask him out while Lance was struggling with his brain. Nope. Not at all. What would give you that idea?

 

… Okay, so maybe he was a little grumpy about Keith asking first. It was petty, but Lance really had thought the other wouldn’t have recognised his own feelings (if they existed) for a while and Lance had plenty of time to get his shit together. He wasn’t going to bitch about it forever, obviously, but he would allow himself a moment or two to pout.

 

Lance picked up his blue and grey abstract design shirt, walking briskly past his friends and into the bathroom. Pidge was still lying in the clothes pile, probably asleep. Hunk was on his tablet, grinning widely. Lance didn’t even want to begin guessing what got that mischievous glint in his best bud’s eye. When he came out of the bathroom, changed, he kicked each of his friends legs. 

 

“Okay, what do you think?”

 

* * *

When Keith went to pick Lance up, he expected Lance to still be in his armour. He’d explained briefly that it made him feel safer, which Keith could understand. He had gone through a lot that would leave him feeling vulnerable. He was surprised, though, when the door to Lance’s room opened and he stood in a pair of dark grey skinny jeans and a blue, gold and white long sleeved dress shirt with swirling patterns. Because  _ of course  _ Lance owned something that fancy. He was suddenly very grateful that Shiro had forced him into a button up. 

 

He was wearing Lance’s jacket on top, of course, but he was wearing the button up and that’s what mattered. 

 

Keith met Lance’s eyes and cleared his throat, trying to distract himself from how Lance’s clothes hugged all of his curves just right. “Ready?”

 

Lance gave him a slightly wobbly smile (he was  _ nervous,  _ Lance was rubbing his hands on his jeans, jesus he was a _ dorable _ ), and nodded. “Lead the way, boy scout.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes at the nickname and began walking. Lance fell into step beside him. There was an awkward silence that Keith wanted to fill, but he didn’t know how. Luckily, Lance was the resident ice breaker of the group. 

 

“So what do you have planned?”

 

Keith shrugged. “I didn’t actually plan it, Allura and Hunk apparently have had this date idea for a long time, so they pretty much set everything up.”

 

Lance nodded sagely. “Living vicariously through us. I see.”

 

“Yeah. So we’re going with their idea.”

 

“And I don’t suppose you’ll tell me what that idea is?”

 

“You’ll see soon enough.”

 

“Keeeeeiiiiiith! Whyyyyyy?”

 

Keith shrugged, his smile playful as he listened to Lance whine. Lance would just have to be patient. 

 

Lance’s complaints quieted down. Keith glanced at him. Lance was staring at the ground, fiddling with his collar. His mouth was twisted slightly downward, and there was the beginning of a blush creeping up his neck. He looked over, saw Keith watching, and cleared his throat. 

 

“Can I…” He trailed off, blush spreading rapidly. “Can I hold your hand?”

 

Keith’s insides all squeezed. He never would have pinned  _ Lance  _ as the type to ask to do stuff like that. He seemed like he just acted on flirtatious nature, so Keith expected him to just link their fingers and that was it. Especially since they took each others hands to drag the other somewhere all the time.

 

But then again, all of Lance’s flirting was directed at aliens he knew he wouldn’t be able to stay with or actually accumulate a meaningful relationship. Maybe this was his first relationship. Or maybe everything that had happened had changed him in that regard, too. Maybe, since the context was intimate, Lance would think everything was different. Whatever it was, it was adorable, and Keith felt very lucky to be stuck in space with this dork. 

 

In lieu of an answer, Keith offered his hand. Lance took it quickly, linking their fingers and pressing their palms tightly together. It felt really nice, Keith discovered. He grinned and tugged Lance towards the observation deck. 

 

They turned a corner, and stopped a moment to look at the fairy lights strung up along the sides of the hall. The normal lights were out only from this point on, leaving the soft glow to guide them. Lance raised a brow at him. 

 

“Okay, so they went all out.”

 

“I can see that.” Lance began walking again, and Keith followed. “I’m almost scared to see what the main place looks like.”

 

“I mean, it’s not like they strung hearts up everywhere.”

 

“Don’t speak too soon. You never know.”

 

Hunk and Allura hadn’t strung hearts up on the observation deck, they saw once they wandered into the room, but they had set up a round table that seemed prepared for food. They were also still near Lotor’s base planet, so the view past the small table was phenomenal. Lance rushed over to one of the chairs and pulled it out, motioning for Keith to sit. 

 

Keith did so, barely keeping back another eye roll. “You don’t have to be, like, the perfect gentleman you know.”   
  


“Hunk and Allura went through all this effort to make everything cheesily romantic. I’m not wasting the opportunity.” Lance plopped into his own seat, eyes drifting to the window. “They did pick probably the best place for this, though. I wonder if Hunk’s gonna do this for Shay when they see each other again.”

 

Keith hummed. “Maybe they’ll let us set up their date.”

 

Lance grinned. “Oh man, I hope so. The Balmera’s surface is, like, gorgeous now, so it’d be really cool if we could prepare a picnic for them. What do Balmeran’s eat, anyways? Rocks?”

 

“I have no idea.”

 

“They’re kind of rocks too though, so that might be considered cannibalism. But I could make Hunk all of his favourites, and he could feed them to Shay, and it’d be super cute. We’d have to hide in a tree and take pictures. It’s required.”

 

Keith leaned his head on his hand, listening to Lance rant. When he got himself wound up, it was hard for him to stop his train of thought, so Keith just listened. And he liked Lance’s voice. It became soothing at some point. He settled in for a while of listening when Coran entered, wearing a full tux and carrying a couple menus. 

 

Lance trailed off. They stared at the advisor as he approached and set the menus in front of them. 

 

“Hello my boys, I’ll be your server today. Take a lookie at the menu and I’ll be back with some drinks! Don’t get too frisky while I’m away, I do have to come back, and we don’t want to be stuck in an awkward situation now do we?” He hurried out again, coat tails flapping behind him. 

 

Lance slowly looked back at Keith, face serious. “Coran is great. He’s my favourite. Bless that man.”

 

Keith slowly lowered his head onto the table. “Oh my god.”

 

“He’s so precious. We have to protect him, Keith. He’s space uncle. Our space uncle is serving us space food to support our gay space date.”

 

“Oh my god.” 

 

“Keith.” Lance leaned forward, taking Keith’s hands away from his face. “We. Must. Protect him.”

 

Keith started laughing, full bodied, and Lance couldn’t keep a straight face. They were stuck in space fighting a war, having a date their friends probably had planned for them for weeks, with a very eccentric Altean as their server and their friends probably watching them through the cameras. It was insane,  and they felt like idiots laughing so hard. 

 

The butterflies in their stomachs and the fact that they hadn’t let go of each other's hands had nothing to do with their amusement. 

 

* * *

“Hunk really outdid himself. That was probably the most delicious thing I’ve had in my life.” Lance commented as they made their way back towards his room. 

 

“Hopefully we can return the favour soon.” 

 

“Picnic?”

 

“Picnic.”

 

Lance cheered, swinging their connected hands. Keith’s cheeks hurt from smiling so much, but he couldn’t stop his lips. It had been a really, really nice night. Once Coran came back with some oddly coloured juice, he took their orders (from the menu that only had one, scribbled choice), and promptly brought their food out for them. They spent the night talking about anything and everything pleasant while they ate, then gazed out at space when they ran out of things to talk about. They were always touching, from held hands to crossed ankles, and it was easy. They’d practically been dating already, so Keith guessed it would be simple to make it official. He didn’t know being this close to someone could be so nice, and he was glad he did it. 

 

They approached Lance’s room, already having agreed that Keith would get changed in his own room then come back, and slowed. They stood in front of the door for a long time, just looking at each other. While Keith knew he would only be gone for a short amount of time, he didn’t want to leave. And, it seemed, neither did Lance. 

 

Lance’s expression slowly smoothed out, and Keith felt the mood shift to something more somber. He straightened, squeezing Lance’s hand encouragingly. Lance glanced down, then looked back at him. 

 

“I know I’m… really bad, right now. Mentally.” Lance took the material on his chest and rubbed it between his fingers. “And I don’t want you to, like, have to support me completely through it all. So would you be alright with us just being this way? Until I’m better?”

 

Keith swallowed the nervousness that solidified in his throat. “What way?”

 

Lance held up their hands. “This. Close, but not serious. I don’t want to put that kind of pressure on you. Tonight was good, really good, and I want to make sure that when we move forward it’s even better. I’m not exactly healthy, and I need to be able to take care of myself before I take care of you.”

 

Keith’s heart squeezed, and his hand replicated the action around Lance’s. Lance was too good for him. He smiled, and he was glad to see the tension lessen in Lance’s posture. “Yeah. We can do that. But I’m still gonna be there for you.”

 

Lance softened, squeezing Keith’s fingers back. “I wouldn’t expect any less.” He took a breath, letting it out slowly. “Can I kiss you?”

 

Keith’s smile widened. “Duh.”

 

Lance leaned in, quickly slotting their mouths together. It was soft, a light pressure of lips on his own, and yet the sensation floored him. There was a pleasant tingle in his face and his toes. His mind was blissfully quiet. Keith couldn’t remember kissing ever being this nice, and he mourned the loss when Lance pulled back. 

 

Lance grinned at him, an expression Keith mirrored, before pushing him lightly in the direction of his room. “Now go get in your cute pj’s so you can come back quickly.”

 

“Yeah, yeah.” Keith waved him off, rushing down the hall. He couldn’t help but look back before turning the corner. Lance was still standing there, one hand on his door, watching him leave. 

 

Keith was sometimes glad that he didn’t think before acting.

 

* * *

On the main deck, the rest of Team Voltron were losing their minds. 

 

Hunk was screaming at an ecstatic Pidge, shaking their shoulders and pointing to the security footage. Coran was weeping softly, dabbing at his tears with a handkerchief, mumbling about how proud he was. Allura was lying on the floor, the space mice on her stomach, grinning wildly at the ceiling and explaining her success to the murids. Shiro sat in the black paladin chair, watching both the screen and his friends with a bemused, yet pleased, expression. 

 

“THEY KISSED! THEY KISSED! THEY FINALLY KISSED!” Hunk sobbed. “FINALLY, PIDGE, FINALLY!”

 

Shiro sighed. It would take some work to calm them down. He glanced at the screen one last time before turning it off, facing the others in the room to usher them to bed. He trusted those two wouldn’t move too fast in their relationship. With a practiced patience, he went to Allura first. 

 

“Come on,” he said, offering a hand, “it’s time we gave them some privacy.”

 

Allura blinked up at him, then smiled. She took the offered hand, her other collecting the mice so they wouldn’t fall. “Yes, I believe it is.”

 

Allura’s hand was delicate in Shiro’s rough one, and he made sure to be gentle when helping her up. She shot him one last victorious smile before she went to Hunk, gathering him in a hug for a job well done. Shiro chuckled, going to Pidge and scooping them over his shoulder. 

 

They left with varying degrees of free will, turning the lights off as they went. The control board hummed for a second longer before quieting, it’s own lights flickering out. The room was plunged in darkness. 

 

The stars twinkled out the window with new fever, the vastness of space not seeming so empty anymore. 

**Author's Note:**

> I really wanted to write fluff, so I did. I hope it's good! I'm not confident in my romance writing abilities, so I'm hoping this turns out well. 
> 
> Hunk and Allura are co-founders of the 'They're Taking Too Long' club. They're talking about themselves and those two. 
> 
> Thank you all for your support, be it kudos, comments, bookmarks, it's all amazing and I cannot show my appreciation enough. It means a lot to me, and I say that a lot, but it does. I'm glad I can write something so widely enjoyed. 
> 
> Keep being safe and amazing, and I'll see you next time~!!!


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